The Hackworth Collection
The Hackworth letters is a collection written by several members of the
Hackworth family and covering a period of ten years, including the Civil
War. This collection provides a glimpse of what life was like in Northern
Alabama before, during, and after the war. Subjects include life on the
farm, the Vicksburg Campaign, riding with Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Reconstruction
after the war.
"When my grandmother, Mrs. Eula Barker Thompson passed away in 1979
in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, (about 35 miles west of Chattanooga) my
brothers and I went through her attic. We found a very old, battered
lock box that had belonged to my great-grandmother, Mrs. Fulvia Hackworth
Barker(1867-1961). In the box we found a number of letters from various
family members to various family members. Unfortunately, we still do
not know who some of the people in the letters are, or how they are related
to us. I have tracked down some information through various cemetery
records. We do know that the William Hackworth in the May 18, 1863 letter
was Fulvia Hackworth Barker's uncle. His father (William Hackworth's)
was Austin Hackworth (1793-1866), and may be the father that is mentioned
in some of the letters. 'Lizzie' in the letters may be Elizabeth Hackworth(1803-1876),
Austin Hackworth's sister, or Mary Elizabeth Hackworth(1854-1873), Austin
Hackworth's daughter. This is just about all the information I have on
the people in the letters. However, I do feel they give an interesting
glimpse into the daily lives of these people during an interesting time
in history. Thanks for reading them."
W. J. Thompson
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